Sheriff hopes 'million-dollar courthouse' can be restored

Wednesday

When Macoupin County Sheriff Don Albrecht isn’t dealing with law enforcement, he’s tending to another aspect of his job: the upkeep of the Macoupin County Courthouse.

When Macoupin County Sheriff Don Albrecht isn’t dealing with law enforcement, he’s tending to another aspect of his job: the upkeep of the Macoupin County Courthouse.

His latest initiative has two goals. Albrecht wants to get the courthouse named to the National Register of Historic Places, a step he thinks will both properly recognize the building’s architectural and historic significance and also perhaps make it easier to obtain grants to support its restoration.

The sandstone exterior of the landmark, Albrecht says, needs refurbishing, but the county is financially strapped, and residents are tightening their belts because of the closures of two area coal mines and what Albrecht calls “tough economic times.”

But refurbishing is important to maintaining a site that attracts visitors from throughout the United States and abroad, he said.

The domed courthouse was known as the “million-dollar courthouse” when it was built in 1870, at a time when a $1 million construction budget was lavish. The final cost of the courthouse actually came to more than $1.3 million, though the widespread suspicion was that some of that money found its way into the pockets of local officials.

“They (the designers) wanted something upscale,” Albrecht said.

Indeed. In the main courtroom, the 7-foot Elizabethan judge’s chair once sat on a track and had to be wheeled to the bench by the bailiff. The bench is made of five kinds of Italian marble, and even the public seating is finely carved walnut.

A desire for strength is also evident. Almost all of the interior doors are made of steel.

The courthouse dome is 191 feet high, and the building features 40-foot Corinthian columns.

Exhibits include documents signed by Abraham Lincoln, who practiced in an earlier Macoupin County courthouse.

Carlinville Regional Chamber of Commerce executive director Jessica Barton said it’s not unusual to see people snapping pictures of the courthouse.

“I see people standing on the steps taking pictures of each other or standing on the street taking photos (to get a wider photo),” she said.

The visitors’ guest book includes names of international as well as American tourists, Albrecht said.

When people visit the courthouse and the Carlinville Historic District, they also shop or dine at local businesses, said Barton and county economic development coordinator Nora Feuquay.

A committee of county residents is pursuing National Register recognition for the courthouse. The next steps include compiling supporting materials and talking with the state historic preservation agency.

“They’ll be the ambassadors for what we want to do,” Albrecht said of the commtitee.

The Carlinville Historic District is on the National Register of Historic sites, but the courthouse needs to be listed individually in order to be eligible for grants, he said.

Such recognition also has the potential to boost economic development and tie into national and international interest in nearby Route 66, as well as Abraham Lincoln sites in the Springfield area, county officials say.

Macoupin County officials raised taxes in the late 1800s and early 1900s to build the courthouse. The construction debt was finally retired in 1910.

Raising taxes isn’t an option today, Albrecht said.

Debra Landis can be reached at (217) 483-4352.

What is the National Register?

The National Register of Historic Places is a national program to help identify and protect historic and archeological resources.

Properties listed on the National Register include districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects identified as significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering and culture. The register includes more than 80,000 listings.

Eight structures or areas already are on the National Register in Macoupin County, including the Carlinville Historic District, Route 66 from Girard to Nilwood and Union Miners Cemetery in Mount Olive.

Sangamon County has 59 National Register sites, including the Statehouse, Lincoln Home and Tomb, the Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop and the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

The most recent Sangamon County addition to the National Register was the former Jennings Ford auto dealership at 431 S. Fourth St. in Springfield. Illinois National Bank restored the building to its original 1919 appearance, and it was added to the register in May 2006.

-- Debra Landis

Design echos 16th-century Italy, France

The architectural design of the Macoupin County Courthouse is identified as Renaissance Revival, which is based on the architecture of 16th-century Renaissance Italy and France and influenced by the architecture of ancient Greek and Roman buildings.

The architect for the courthouse was Elijah E. Myers of Springfield, who also worked on the Michigan, Texas and Colorado state capitols, among other sites in the United States, Mexico and Brazil.

Myers also designed the 1869 Macoupin County Jail, which is no longer used but is open for visits by the public.

— Debra Landis

Courthouse's history rife with rumors of scandal

CARLINVILLE -- Growing up, Nora Feuquay heard the stories about the "million dollar courthouse" on the city square.

One of them was that Macoupin County officials in the late 1800s wanted Carlinville to become the state capital. Hence, they built a courthouse that cost more than $1.3 million.

Another was one or more county officials made off with some of the tax dollars raised to build the courthouse.

"They were stories I heard as a child. I don't know if they're true," said Feuquay, who today is the county's economic development coordinator.

The first Macoupin County Courthouse was built of logs on what is now the city square, according to local historians. That building was followed by a brick county courthouse, where Abraham Lincoln was among those practicing law. Copies of legal documents with Lincon's signature are on file at the current courthouse.

After the Civil War, Macoupin County officials began planning for the current courthouse.

"By the time the courthouse was officially completed in 1870, the project had cost a staggering $1,342,226.31," says a history post on the Carlinville Regional Chamber of Commerce's Web site. "Thus evolved the nickname, the 'Million Dollar Courthouse.'

"Not only was the courthouse an exorbitant expense to the taxpayers, rumors of a scandal involving misused appropriations also tarnished the project. Initially, the blame was laid on Judge Thaddeus Loomis and George H. Holliday, county clerk. Judge Loomis was apparently innocent of any wrongdoing. (We may never know the truth about Mr. Holliday, however, because one night in 1870, he boarded a train out of town and simply disappeared)," the history says.

When completed, the courthouse was said to be the second largest -- behind only New York City's -- in the United States.

Despite the questions about its construction, the courthouse is a source of pride in Macoupin County, which is proposing that the building be named to the National Register of Historic Places.

In July 1910, 40 years after the cornerstone was laid, county residents celebrated the retirement of the construction debt with a two-day celebration, according to records. An estimated 20,000 people are said to have gathered for the event.

"At a pre-determined hour, all mine whistles, church bells, alarms and anything else that could make a loud noise raised quite a ruckus," according to the Carlinville Chamber of Commerce Web site. "The noise wasn't limited to one mighty blast, however, because history records that athletic contests, balloon rides and even airplane rides gave the citizens plenty to cheer about.

"A parade of cars that stretched more than a mile also entertained the crowds. That doesn't seem like such a spectacular event today, but it was quite impressive at a time when so few people owned cars."

Such a history, combined with its architecture and continuing significance to Macoupin County, makes the courthouse worthy of National Register consideration, said Sheriff Don Albrecht.

-- Debra Landis

Want to help?

People interested in helping with efforts to get the Macoupin County Courthouse on the National Register may call (217) 854-3135, ext. 281.

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